Location
Kerta Gosha is the ancient house of justice located in the center of Klungkung
city which also known as floating pavilion. Klungkung is one of the capital
of Balinese kingdom after 1550 following the retirement of Balinese famous
king Dalem Waturenggong. The city of Klungkung is 47 km from Denpasar, or
62 kms from Kuta, and 76 kms from Nusa Dua area. Today with the opening
of the road on the beach of south Bali until south beach of Klungkung the
distance is only 1.5 hours drive from Denpasar compared to via old road
that passing many towns and cities in the inner part of Bali which take
normally 2.5 hours.
Kerta Gosha
As mentioned above Kerta Gosha is an ancient court house of Justice belong
to the kingdom of Bali. Physically it looks like a floating pavilion on
one of the roof of the pavilion is painted with strange pictures. The pictures
depict the punishment of wrong doers in the heaven. For example if a man
during his life has many women or can not be single loyalty will be punished
with heavy burden to hold many women until he is lay waste and become a
joke of others. If a woman during her life does not wish to have child also
will be punished to feed her milk to a caterpillar, and many other ethical
education to the people. The interest of Kerta Gosha is not only of the
traditional low of order but also the architecture and the story behind
the existence of the pavilion. Klungkung became the center of Bali kingdom
after the chaos of the kingdom during their center in Gelgel, a place around
3 km from current Klungkung city due to the coup d'etat by the minister
of I Gusti Agung Maruti, while the Prince of the kingdom was still so young
at the moment in the year of 1651. The only after the legal heirs of the
kingdom getting his adultery Dewa Agung Mayun and Dewa Agung Jambe with
the assistance of vassals of Badung, Buleleng, and Tabanan then I Gusti
Agung Maruti was forced to withdraw from the throne. And Dewa Agung Jambe
as the legal heir of the kingdom moved the capital of the kingdom to Semarapura
which is known as Klungkung where he was hiding during the coup d'detat.
Semarapura is known also as Smarajaya. Dewa Agung Jambe sit on the throne
of Klungkung kingdom from 1710 to 1775 as the first king of Klungkung kingdom
with control to all vassals in Bali. Starting the period of Klungkung actually
the friction among vassals in Bali had been started, for example Karangasem
extending their influence to Buleleng, Lombok and Sumbawa, Badung and Mengwi
independently extending their influence to other areas, even Buleleng and
Mengwi conflicting to take power on Banyuwangi, east Java. The process of
breaking of Bali started in a real pace, although all king still consider
the highest king is Dewa Agung, not I Gusti Agung thus means Klungkung is
still considered the highest king. Even after the throne of Klungkung was
handled by the third king that was Dewa Agung Di Made II, 1825 - 1870, the
weakening of the control of Klungkung become reality. Bali broke into 10
small kingdoms which were always conflicting for emporium. Those small kingdom
all governed by I Gusti, not by I Dewa, and we record the existing kingdom
of Buleleng, Badung, Karangasem, Gianyar, Bangli, Tabanan, Mengwi, Payangan,
Jembrana, including Klungkung itself become small kingdom. It can be said
that Kerta Gosha had been neglected as social function since the period
of Dewa Agung Dimade II which already 230 years now. Yet as Balinese spirit
who always respected ancient heritages the existence of the pavilion and
its environment still preserved and maintained by the family of the king,
until the independence of Indonesia in 1945 by the palace of Klungkung.
While after the independence the maintenance is taken over by the government
of Klungkung. The fact that in Balinese society before the power of 10 small
kingdoms in Bali has a law order and symbolized by the floating pavilion
of Kerta Gosha. Indeed it is a pride, compared to the law order by the king
himself without the body that take in charge for equality before the law.
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